Oh my...
Nope.
Any tank that is in use will draw air in, at night the humidity in that air will condense. Refill the tano, use more fuel, at night that air condenses... and the cycle repeats
How long can you (and your family) survive if the grid went down for an extended period?
- Thread starter Solarcabin Channel
- Start date
Nope.
Any tank that is in use will draw air in, at night the humidity in that air will condense. Refill the tano, use more fuel, at night that air condenses... and the cycle repeats
If the cap is healthy there should be a minor vacuum in the tank most of the time. The venting design allows it to keep from forming a vacuum past the point of fuel restriction. This is on modern ones. Old tractors has a gasket that seals with normally a small hole to allow controlled venting. Also sloshing the fuel around helps too as its pumped. Another reason the return fuel types are better than the dead head system on the really old stuff. With the fuel being returned to the tank all the time the last injector doesn't get starved in the rails too.
Rampant air flow doesn't really happen. I guess the "sealed" system isn't dead accurate.
Last edited:
Are you thinking air doesnt get into the tank when fuel goes out?
Ever seen a barrell sealed with the air removed?
Trust us.
ANY diesel tank that is used, and stored not full overnight WILL have water getting in the tank.
Im not sure why you are arguing this...
It is an established fact of diesel fuel systems...
Its why there is a water in fuel light on diesel vehicles.
Solarcabin Channel
Solar Addict
New tractors have a hydrophobic filter to remove water but older and some new tractors use the clear strainer so you could see the water and debris in the glass. Warned many times to never get on a tractor until I check that strainer and drain off the water.
Also completely fill the tank before winter or rust will form and temperature difference will gel the fuel here.
When not RUNNING air does not get into the tank if the cap is in good working order. Thus the storage part. A stored diesel generator or a stored truck with a good condition fuel system and cap is sealed. The valve in the cap in that video I posted is how air gets in when its running. But it doesn't get in when stored.
When running it goes into the tank as fuel goes out.
Actually the water in the fuel comes from where you buy the diesel normally
Water separators are not new. I have them on some of my tractors and all of my trucks have them. Filters in recent years have them too.
Most water contamination comes from purchasing and not from after you buy it. Another good reason to make sure where you buy your fuel from.
The water in the fuel light means the separator is full of water.
Last edited:
Solarcabin Channel
Solar Addict
HalfBaked
Ever the student
"How long can you (and your family) survive if the grid went down for an extended period?"
Until I fight to the death with my dumbass neighbor about the finer details of diesel fuel
Until I fight to the death with my dumbass neighbor about the finer details of diesel fuel
Solarcabin Channel
Solar Addict
All farmers and oil patch around me so not much fighting over that. Two of my neighbors and one brother works in the oil field.
I could if desperate siphon off drip fuel from some of the pipelines here and no one would know.
SolarTexan
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2022
- Messages
- 18
"How long can you (and your family) survive if the grid went down for an extended period?"
We provide all our own power, so to us the grid is for everyone else. We would survive as long as our other preps hold out, and as long as others around us are still civil. We are prepared for the uncivil if it arises.
As for the conversation on diesel, we have a diesel tractor, and several diesel generators. I built a 15gpm fuel polisher that is mounted to my 500 gallon diesel tank that both cleans the fuel and removes the water. We use about 50-75 gallons of diesel per year and the engines run the same every time. I run the fuel polisher about 4 times a year to keep the fuel clean and remove any water. I also top off the tank every year with fresh diesel and add PRI-D additive to it. I figure that I can extend the life of the diesel quite a long time, as long as I keep it polished (clean) and remove the water.
We provide all our own power, so to us the grid is for everyone else. We would survive as long as our other preps hold out, and as long as others around us are still civil. We are prepared for the uncivil if it arises.
As for the conversation on diesel, we have a diesel tractor, and several diesel generators. I built a 15gpm fuel polisher that is mounted to my 500 gallon diesel tank that both cleans the fuel and removes the water. We use about 50-75 gallons of diesel per year and the engines run the same every time. I run the fuel polisher about 4 times a year to keep the fuel clean and remove any water. I also top off the tank every year with fresh diesel and add PRI-D additive to it. I figure that I can extend the life of the diesel quite a long time, as long as I keep it polished (clean) and remove the water.
12VoltInstalls
life passes by too quickly to not live in freedom
This is possible.
But with a …. let’s say ‘communities’ … locally to me with an off-radar, off grid in the old traditional sense of the words mindset I am “aware” of some VERY old stocks of #2 that are in very large tanks that they rotate between and refill occasionally. A few years ago (probably 8 or 9) the tank that this ‘community’ rotated to was previously filled in like 1978. Their heat, trucks, and implements ran on it fine.
I’m not connected and the extended family member that was part of the… group… died of cancer a few years back. So I don’t know what happened since. But if they’re only using fuel from ‘rotation’ of tanks at 30+ years old I’m thinking it’d be a while before they find out…
Interestingly this ‘group’ operates under a plan to constantly update with the intention of surviving and defending for fifteen years from whatever disaster occurs. I’ve become curious as to how or if solar has affected their sustainability plan.
I’ve just never heard of diesel going ‘bad’ before.
The old diesel doesn't. The biofuel added stuff will be a crapshoot unfortunately. It can go rancid with time. But again the old normal diesel should last longer than most of use have left to live
It makes a good long term storage fuel for emergencies. Especially vs say gasoline or such.
Oh, i have.
Diesel with water contamination gets very cloudy, then the black or red slime grows on it, and cloggs up filters and pump screens.
A good screening, and it is still good. But yeah, it can be nasty.
Diesel with water contamination gets very cloudy, then the black or red slime grows on it, and cloggs up filters and pump screens.
A good screening, and it is still good. But yeah, it can be nasty.
I frequently "upgrade" homes from fuel oil to natural gas or heat pumps, and often the tanks have a good amount of fuel they want me to haul away...
I pump into my bed tank, and haul the tanks to my shop...
I have several 1000 to 250 gallon tanks squirreled away.
I pump into my bed tank, and haul the tanks to my shop...
I have several 1000 to 250 gallon tanks squirreled away.
Ive been lucky and have never had issues with any of mine. I did help a neighbor clean up an algae infestation problem he had. He had gone to new orleans for a week and got bad fuel there. When he got back he parked the truck for a week and when he went to crank it the truck would stumble and quit. Checked the filter and it was clogged with the stuff. He called and asked if I would come over and help him with it. We ended up treating it with algaecide and after letting it sit for a bit we dropped the tank and did a clean out and blew out the lines and changed the filters.
Fresh fuel and another dose of algaecide we flushed the fuel again without dropping the tank this time and it has run great since.
Startron does a fine job with most infestations...
I think we used this :
Bio Kleen Diesel Fuel Biocide
Bio Kleen Diesel Fuel Biocide Treatment
This dual-phased biocide kills microbes in fuel, including bacteria and fungus. Use this to rid your diesel fuel system of microbial contamination.
powerservice.com
This guy had about every additive known to man.
You have to of met someone like this guy. He's the type that has 2% oil in the crank case with the other 98% being "wonder liquids" he picked up at the parts stores.
I'm one of those that's kind of against adding stuff to oil or fuel unless I have to. I did run one or two bottles (chainsaw size) of 2 stroke oil in my f250's diesel fuel when I filled up. It made it run smoother an quieter is why I did it. The ultra low sulfur fuel makes 7.3's hella noiser without it.
I was part of the 2021 Texas blackout. My house is all electric and I lost power for 5 days and had two water pipes burst. I was not prepared at all. One thing I never thought of was having plumbing supplies to make repairs (copper pipe, fittings). When I could finally drive the roads, the stores were cleaned out of supplies.
I'm much more prepared now but not even close to where I need to be. I now have a stock of copper pipe and fittings, camping stove, coffee pot, candles, canned goods, charcoal stove, etc. I recently installed a propane heater and bought a Bluetti and I'm working on a small 800w solar system. Hopefully, I'll have that done in December.
I'm much more prepared now but not even close to where I need to be. I now have a stock of copper pipe and fittings, camping stove, coffee pot, candles, canned goods, charcoal stove, etc. I recently installed a propane heater and bought a Bluetti and I'm working on a small 800w solar system. Hopefully, I'll have that done in December.
